Game board and table



Feb. 2, 1937. c K, VAN RlPER 2,069,487

GAME BOARD AND TABLE Fi-led March 9, 1935 INVENTOR Ciuggles K. V0422 Ripe? ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 2, 1937' UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE Application March 9,

Claims.

This invention relates to game boards and/or tables and particularly to boards or tables which may be used for games played with discs, balls or other devices adapted to be snapped, stroked or 5 otherwise propelled from the plane of the board or table.

It is an object of the invention to provide a board or table of the character described which is so constructed and arranged as to permit it player to snap, stroke or propel the disc, ball or other device regardless of its close proximity to a wall of the board or table.

It is a further object to provide a game board or table with a retractible wall and yielding means normally to hold the wall in confining position and to return it automatically to confining position, thus permitting the player by retracting the wall to snap, stroke or propel a disc, ball or other device which may have lodged in such close proximity to the wall as to be otherwise unplayable.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a board of the character described which may be readily assembled in extended form for use and reduced to compact form when not in use.

Other objects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

One illustrative embodiment of the invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a game board in extended form embodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan View of a portion of the board with certain parts omitted for clearness of illustration and showing the position of the side walls and baseboards of the two sections of the board when connected for use.

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the game board when reduced to compact form.

Referring to Fig. 1, an illustrative game board is shown for playing tennis with discs of bone, ivory or the like which may be snapped over a net toward openings in the end wall of the game board. It will be understood, however, that the board may be used for playing games other than tennis and that the invention is not to be limited to the specific form of board shown for purposes of illustration.

As shown in Fig. 1, the game board preferably consists of two separate sections designated generally A and B. Each section consists of a base- 1935, Serial No. 10,186

board I, preferably of wood, linoleum or other material of suitable stiffness, side walls 2 of similar material secured to baseboard I, and an end wall 3 of similar material.

End wall 3 is hingedly connected to the baseboard I, preferably by hinges 26 (see Fig. 5), and is yieldingly held in raised position by springs 4 connected at one end to the inner face of end wall 3 and at the other end to the inner face of a side wall 2. With this arrangement, end wall 3 is normally held in raised position by springs 4 but may be lowered by the player, as shown at the left hand end of Fig. 1, to permit the player to reach and snap a disc which may have come to rest adjacent to or against end wall 3. As shown in Fig. l a disc designated 6 is about to be snapped by the hand of one of the players, the hand resting upon end wall 3 and holding it down against the action of springs 4 to permit the player to snap the disc 6 which has come to rest adjacent 20 the end wall 3. When the disc has been played and the hand raised, the springs 4 will automatically return end wall 3 to raised position.

As shown in Fig. 1, each end wall is provided with openings 1, and between the two sections A and B a tennis net designated'8 is placed. The object of the game is to snap the disc 6 over the net 8 and through one of the openings 1 in the opposite end wall 3. If the disc 6 goes through one of the openings 1 in the opposite end wall, the player so snapping the disc scores a point or points. If the disc 6 does not pass through one of the openings 1 the opposing player snaps the disc back across the net 8 and toward openings I in the other end wall.

To provide a suitable playing surface there may be applied to the top of baseboard I a felt or other suitable cloth 9 which may be either directly secured to baseboard I or stretched over and secured to a thin strip of veneer l0 and then secured to baseboard I. It will be understood, however, that the baseboard itself may provide a suitable playing surface.

Net 8 may be secured to a base strip I I preferably of wood. To hold the net 8 in correct position, side walls 2 are recessed at adjacent ends as shown at I2 in Fig. 3 to provide a pocket into which the end of base member I I of the net may be inserted. As shown in Fig. 2, base member I l of the net rests upon baseboards l of sections A and B and between felt coverings 9 if such coverings are employed.

To retain sections A and B of the board in connected operative position, side walls 2 are equipped with pegs l3, over which the ends of a spring may 55 be placed. The springs M are of sufficient strength to retain the two sections in connected position. Springs l4 may also be so located as to extend over the ends of base member I l to assist in ho1ding the net 8 in correct position. While in the illustrative embodiment the springs I4 are shown for connecting the two sections A and B, it will be understood that other means may be employed for this purpose. For example, a hook and eye might be used to connect the two sections A and B.

When not in use the two sections may be disconnected and reassembled in the compact form shown in Fig. 5. To do this, springs l4 and the net 8 are removed and placed on section A. Section B is then inverted and placed on top of section A with its end wall 3 opposite end wall 3 of section A, so that the respective end walls 3 constitute opposite sides of the compact form shown in Fig. 5. To accommodate pins i3, side walls 2 are provided with openings to receive pins l3. This engagement of the pins l3 with holes [5 serves to prevent shifting of one section relative to the other. To hold the two sections A and B in this inverted position, hooks designated l6 are provided on one side wall 2 to engage a pin or eye l! on the adjacent side wall 2. It will be understood that other means of holding the two sections in inverted position may be used without departing from the invention.

It will be noted that applicant is the first to provide a game board having retractible walls normally held in upright position and adapted to be lowered by the player and to automatically reassume an upright position when released.

This feature of the invention is particularly advantageous when the board is used for games involving the snapping or propelling of discs, balls or other devices which may lodge against or adjacent a wall of the board, and this feature may be used whether the board. consists of one or more sections.

It should also be noted that the illustrative game board consists of a plurality of detachable sections and means for readily detachably connecting them in extended position for use as a game board, and means for reassembling and detachably connecting said sections in compact form when not in use.

It will be rmderstood that the invention is not to be limited to the specific embodiment shown for purposes of illustration as the inventive features may be variously embodied Without departing from the invention.

It will also be understood that all of the fea tures of the invention need not be used conjointly as they may be used to advantage in various combinations as defined in the sub-joined claims. For example, the retractible, automatically-returnable end walls may be used in a game board having an integral base instead of a sectional base, and the sectional feature of the invention may be used with or without the retractible end walls.

It will also be understood that the retractible automatically returnable Walls may be used in game tables as well as in game boards and that the expression game board as used in the claims is intended to include game tables.

I claim:

1. A game board comprising, in combination, a base, side walls secured thereto, end walls hinged thereto, and means yieldingly to hold said end walls in upright position; said base and walls being constructed in sections adapted to be detachably connected in extended position for use and to be detachably connected in superimposed position when not in use.

2. A game board comprising, in combination, a plurality of separate sections, means to detachably connect the sections in extended position for use, means to detachably connect the sections in superimposed position when not in use, each section being provided with an end wall hinged to the section, and means for yieldingly holding the end wall in upright position.

3. A game board comprising, in combination, a base, confining walls extending upwardly from the base, a plurality of said walls being hingedly connected to the base, and means yieldingly to hold said hingedly connected walls in upright position.

4. A game board comprising, in combination, a base, confining walls extending upwardly from the base, one of said walls being hingedly connected to the base, and means yieldingly to hold said hingedly connected wall in upright position.

5. A game board comprising, in combination, a base marked to simulate a tennis court, side walls secured thereto and provided with oppositely disposed recesses located midway the ends thereof, end walls hinged to the base and extending upwardly therefrom, means yieldingly to hold said end walls in upright position, and a tennis net provided with a supporting base the ends of which are adapted to fit into the recesses in the side walls.

CHARLES K. VAN RIPER. 

